Part 3 – It All Comes Out in the Wash, or Home Economics
Sanzo was leaning against the folding table at the local laundromat, fuming. Signs plastered all around the room warned "No Smoking". Hakkai had insisted that he put his cigarette out, both because the spark could ignite the gas dryers and because there were no ashtrays, and therefore no place to discard the ashes properly. Hakkai objected to him strewing ashes on the floor.
"Tch. It's not like you have to clean it up," Sanzo retorted.
"I sympathize with whoever has to clean it up. I know what it's like to clean up after chain smokers."
From his seat near the dryers, Gojyo snorted.
The dryer closest to where Gojyo was sitting shut off with a clunk. Sanzo opened the door and examined the first robe he pulled out.
"Shit," he said in disgust. "Isn't there any way you can get these robes cleaner? This one still has stains on it."
Hakkai peered over his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sanzo," he said apologetically. "I've washed them in the hottest water possible and I've done all I can with the laundry products at my disposal. It's difficult to get berry stains out of clothing, especially when the clothing is white cotton."
Sanzo glared at Goku, who looked sheepish and blushed. A slight accident with some blueberry pie had caused the stain, much to Sanzo's consternation and distress.
Hakkai continued, "Somehow white robes don't strike me as very practical. I don't think whoever designed the sanzo priest's outfit expected them to do a lot of traveling under adverse conditions like we do."
"No shit," Sanzo muttered. He kept to himself his supposition that it was that pain in the ass Kanzeon Bosatsu who had decided on the sanzo priest's uniform just to piss him off.
Sanzo continued pulling clothes out of the dryer. When there were no more clothes left, he looked around distractedly and said, "Where are my black undershirts and gauntlets?"
"They have to be hand-washed," Hakkai responded. "They're made of silk, which shrinks easily."
"Damn it," Sanzo said, "I don't have any clean ones. How long will it take to wash and dry them?"
"Washing them doesn't take that long," Hakkai said, "but drying them might take awhile, depending on whether I can find someplace to hang them outside and on what the weather's like." He refrained from asking why he was just now finding out that Sanzo didn't have any clean shirts and sleeves.
Gojyo gestured to Hakkai. When he got close enough, he whispered to him," Have you ever considered washing them in the machine and letting them shrink? It'd serve that prick right. Besides, he'd look even hotter if his undershirt were tighter."
"Why are you so interested?" Hakkai asked patiently. "One of us isn't enough?"
Gojyo smirked. "C'mon, 'Kai, don't pretend you don't notice. I've seen the way you look at him too. Though it might be a little too much fun to look at him with his shirts all shrunken like that."
"I'll consider your suggestion," Hakkai said, adding in a thoughtful voice, "I think I'll wash the sleeves by hand. They shouldn't take as long to dry and though they are stretchy, there's more of a chance they won't fit if they shrink."
"Monkey ought to thank us," Gojyo observed. "I've seen him sneaking hungry looks at Sanzo when the undershirt's exposed."
"Ha ha," Hakkai replied. "The things we do for entertainment around here."
Sanzo, who couldn't hear what they were saying, glared at them from the other side of the room, certain that if he could hear what they were saying, he'd be displeased.
/fin/
